After brutal hours waiting in the Ticketmaster’s online queue for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, senior student Kayla Peery scored six coveted tickets. Quickly, she realized there was a problem. How will she choose the perfect outfit to wear to the concert?

Over the past decade, it has become a hobby for fandoms to curate their wardrobe for concerts of their favorite artists. From Harry Styles to the band Inhaler Dublin, fans dress to impress.

The typical concert outfit used to consist of sneakers, jeans and maybe a band tee of the artist. Nowadays, fans spend weeks planning their outfit, which may include heels, skirts, dresses, corsets, jewelry and even feather boas. 

“I wanna dress nice and go all out because I am already spending a lot on the ticket and the experience, so I might as well look nice,”  Peery said.

Depending on the artist, there is a certain level of effort that fans and concert goers will put into their concert looks. Based on a survey of  100 North students, 43 percent of students put in effort for their concert attire.

“If you are going to a rock concert, people tend to dress more casually, but if you are going to Harry Styles, it’s like a mini Met gala,” senior Kamila Panka said. “You have to go all out.” 

This dressing trend dates back to the  80’s.  During Madonna’s Virgin Tour, fans began to show up wearing lace gloves, crosses, pearls and bows.

“At concerts, attendees will recreate their favorite outfits of the artist and put their own spin on it,” senior Gabby Garcera said. “Personally, I am influenced by each artist to capture their essence with an outfit.” 

The act of dressing up at a concert exploded again at the start of ex One Direction band member, Harry Styles’ solo tour career. Over the years, Styles has become a fashion icon in pop culture which has influenced ‘Harries’ to start expressing themselves more at his concerts.“ Obviously if you’re a pop star, you gotta dress like a pop star and then your fans will dress like pop stars,” Panka said.

More fans are taking it upon themselves to pre-plan their concert outfits. Before the summer Taylor Swift concert, “Swifties” were searching all over the internet for the best attire to show up at the fashionista’s performance. 

“I started planning out my Taylor Swift outfit months prior,” Garcera said. “If it was any other artist,  I would wait closer to the date to start thinking about what I’m going to wear.” 

The process of finding the perfect outfit is intense. First, fans take into consideration a certain theme. The outfit could be based on a color or inspiration from the artist’s past looks. 

“I choose my outfit’s theme sort of based on the vibe of the artist and their show,” alumni Natalie Liapis said.

Building the perfect outfit can also be time consuming and costly. Results from the survey revealed that students’ average cost could range from $50 to almost $400 for a full outfit. 

“On a singular concert, I will spend the max of $40 on an outfit,” Garcera said. “There is an exception for my favorite artists, though.”

Dressing up for concerts has now become a fashion staple, and it is a great way for fans of all ages to express themselves freely to enjoy a great performance. 

“We go to school in Plainfield, and it’s not a place where you get to dress up and actually show your character through your clothes,” Panka said. “So, I think it’s just something that is a way to express yourself and have the freedom to be who you are.” 

According to Garcera, what matters the most at a concert, however, is the music and the environment, so have fun.

“Concerts are a way to express your love for music with those with shared interests,” Garcera said. “Make friends, dance and savor the moment.”